Assault on monks in Purulia: 12 held; Trinamool says BJP giving incident a communal colour

Kolkata: Twelve people have been arrested in connection with the assault on three monks, en route to Gangasagar Mela, after locals suspected them of being kidnappers. Reacting to comments made by BJP leaders over the incident, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) accused the BJP of trying to give a communal twist to the incident.

According to the facts shared by Purulia District Police on social media, the incident took place on January 11. “...there was a misunderstanding between three Gangasagar-bound sadhus with three local minor girls near Kashipur over language problems. The girls got scared and local people manhandled the sadhus and damaged their vehicle, alleging a kidnapping attempt. Local police promptly intervened and rescued the sadhus. 12 people have been arrested over the incident on the basis of a specific case. All possible assistance was rendered to

the sadhus.”

The police further pointed out: “There is no communal overtone, whatsoever, regarding the incident. Anyone trying to fuel communal passions will be strictly dealt with as per the law.” Earlier, Union minister Anurag Thakur, who was in the city, said that the state government is not doing anything and questioned the “anti-hindu” thought process being created. The state BJP leadership also claimed that those behind the “assault” were linked to the ruling party.

The TMC dubbed the allegations by the BJP as “baseless” and accused them of giving a communal twist to the incident. The AITC spokesperson Shashi Panja pointed out that in less than 24 hours, 12 arrests were made by the police.

“Cops immediately came to the spot and everyone was taken to the police station. At least 12 people have been already arrested in the case and the police are looking into it. However, the BJP is trying to mislead as always,” she said.

Regarding the incident, Trinamool Congress spokesman Kunal Ghosh said: “While interacting with media, one of the seers clarified that the problem arose due to a language barrier and the police there took swift action and helped them in no time. Moreover, he also stated that there are no political angles to it and thanked the state administration for the assistance.”